#john robert fox

[thehighpriestofreverseracism]

I'm shocked that I just found out about John R. Hopkins. How many of you have heard of this black historical figure and his contribution?

[liberatingletters]

“That last round was just where I wanted it,” John informing his close friend, Lt. Otis Zachary, the artillery operator on the other end of the radio. “Bring it in 60 yards more.”

Stunned, Zachary replayed John’s words in his head to confirm he heard the soldier correctly. John was Zachary’s oldest friend in the military, becoming very close during their training days in Massachusetts in 1942. They even traveled to Italy on the same transport. Giving such an order seemed unconscionable to Zachary.

If executed, the force of approximately 75 heavy caliber artillery guns would be focused directly on John’s location. Each shell alone would be enough to decimate the home he was hiding in. Such a barrage would be Armageddon. Convinced John was mistaken, he tried to clear up the confusion.

“John, that’s your position.”

“Fire it! There’s more of them than there is of us.”

[blackinhistory]

John Robert Fox

This WWII soldier called in an artillery strike to save an Italian village. The twist? The only way to save the town from enemy occupation was to call in the strike on his position, meaning certain death. He made the ultimate sacrifice, and saved an entire village while taking down 100 enemy soldiers in the process (and the day after Christmas, of all days). However, discrimination at the time prevented Black soldiers from receiving the “Medal of Honor”. That was corrected in the 90s, and he was one of only 7 black soldiers from WWII to receive that honor. What happened?

Born 1915, Cincinnati, Ohio. Serving under Cannon Company, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division, better known as the famous “Buffalo Soldiers”, 1st Lieutenant Fox had been acting as a forward observer for the 598th Field Artillery Battalion the past few weeks in December of 1944. They were stationed in the town of Sommocolonia, Italy.

On the evening of Christmas day, German soldiers disguised in civilian clothes secretly infiltrated the village. By the next morning, Sommocolonia was mostly in enemy hands and attacks had begun. Fox and company were outnumbered, as most of the Allied forces had already pulled back due to the increasingly hostile territory, with the exception of Fox and other volunteers. He and his men directed American artillery fire to slow the enemies’ advance.

It soon became evident, however, that more drastic measures would have to be taken if Fox wanted to turn the tide. With each strike he called in over the radio, the bombs would hit closer to his position until he calmly asked the Fire Direction Command to strike on his position.

The operator was stunned. He thought it was a mistake. Command warned Fox that the next strike would be directly on top of his position. He quickly clarified so there was no confusion:

"There are hundreds of them coming. Put everything you've got on my OP!"

The American forces solemnly followed through with the strike. A few days later, after a counter offensive attack (not possible without Fox's order), the Allied forces retook Sommocolonia. They recovered Fox’s body, some of his men, and approximately 100 enemy soldiers who died from the explosive barrage of shell fire.

Though quite a few would consider this sacrifice legendary, he received no honors from the military for decades. Discrimination from the white military leadership at the time prevented Black soldiers from receiving certain awards, if any. In 1982, Fox posthumously received the “Distinguished Service Cross”. During the 90s, a congressional investigation was opened and determined that seven Black soldiers from WWII were denied consideration for the Medal of Honor, the U.S. nation’s highest military honor, based solely on their race. In a ceremony led by President Bill Clinton in 1997, these seven soldiers were awarded the medal. This included Fox.

It’s also interesting to note the town of Sommocolonia didn't forget Fox’s sacrifice; the citizens had erected a monument honoring Fox and the other soldiers who died protecting their home.

Photo/Source: Congressional Medal of Honor Society Source: Wikipedia Source: Ancestry.com Source: Defense.gov Source: US News Online/Wiz Worx